Would-be teachers’ criminal records

Drug dealers, shoplifters, benefit fraudsters and drinkdrivers are among more than 400 would-be teachers who have applied for jobs in Kent and Medway schools, we can reveal.

A total of 408 applicants with 809 convictions applied for positions in schools in the last two years, according to figures provided by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), under the Freedom of Information Act.

The DBS carries out background checks on behalf of employers.

It means an unknown number of applicants carried more than one conviction or applicants applied for more than one job over the period.

Among the applicants in 2016-17 were 12 individuals who had convictions for assault, including one on a policeman.

Another came from someone guilty of wilfully mistreating or neglecting a child, while one was found to have been drunk while looking after a child.

The most common offences were for drinkdriving, followed by shoplifting.

DBS applications are referred to police forces, who examine the records of those seeking to work in a range of sectors – including schools, healthcare, social services and private hire transport. If convictions are discovered, applicants are prohibited from going for jobs in these sectors and it is an offence for an employer to take on any of those who fail checks.

However, minor convictions and cautions can be removed from certificates in a similar way to offences being regarded as “spent”.